It is that most wonderful time of year when the leaves have fallen, the days are shorter and the temperature turns much colder, the turkeys have had their day, and our attention turns to festive winter holiday gatherings. Early winter is a harbinger for the annual tradition of The Twelve Beers of Christmas. This is my eleventh observation of this much anticipated list.
Stipulations for inclusion: it must be a beer not enjoyed before, either gifted, muled, hauled from travels, rare and coveted. The drinking of the dozen begins on Christmas Day and follows the Twelve Days of Christmas. Follow along every day beginning on Christmas Day on Instagram, Untappd, and Twitter.
1. Yazoo Brewing / Blackberry Farm Brewery Across The Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia.
The Beer:
Blackberry Farms Collaboration with Yazoo Brewing. A complex beer brewed with European malts and hops, and fermented with a classic abbey yeast. It is layered with locally roasted coffee from Three Bears Coffee in Knoxville, which was smoked at Benton’s Country Hams of Madisonville, TN which yields a drinkable, dark, strong ale.
2. Firestone Walker Parabola Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (2017)
In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits any of several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One description of a parabola involves a point and a line.
The Beer:
Parabola is a beer of darkness and immensity, a barrel-aged beast that is routinely ranked as one of the top beers in the world. This Russian Imperial oatmeal stout is aged for a full year in Heaven Hill barrels, developing flavors of rich, chewy roasted malts, charred oak and bourbony vanilla. Parabola bares its teeth with its impenetrable black hue and soaring alcohol, yet its bite remains refined with a silky, balanced finish.
This beer was obtained on one of my first working trips to Southern California when my friend Carlos took me to several bottle shops and breweries.
3. Hunahpu's Imperial Stout (2017)
In Mayan mythology, Hun Hunahpu was the father of the Mayan hero twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Hun Hunahpu, along with his brother Vucub Hunahpu, was tricked by the Dark Lords of the underworld and slain. Hun Hunahpu’s corpse morphed into a cacao tree, his head becoming a cacao pod, which in typically awesome mythology fashion, spit upon the hand of a young maiden named Xiquic who promptly became pregnant with the hero twins. The twins would ultimately grow up to avenge their father and uncle and defeat the Dark Lords and ascend the heavens to become the moon and sun.
The Beer:
Cigar City brews Hunahpu’s® Imperial Stout, aged on cacao nibs, Madagascar vanilla beans, ancho chilis, pasilla chilis and cinnamon, once a year and release it only at the brewery on the second Saturday in March.
This beer was a birthday/Hootenanny gift from Big Jason.
4. New Belgium Paonia Peach Dark Sour Ale: Blender Project 007
"An apple is an excellent thing -- until you have tried a peach."
George du Maurier
The Beer:
New Belgium wanted to experiment with refermenting fruit inside a foeder using their house mixed culture, which happens to be the oldest, continuous living sour culture in the United States. For this first experiment, they used peaches from Colorado’s famed growing region on the Western Slope produced on a farm near Paonia, Colorado.
My daughter Ashlyn picked this peachy wonderfulness up during a recent visit to Asheville.
5. Avery Tweak Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coffee Stout (2017)
tweak /twēk/
improve by making fine adjustments to it.
The Beer:
Tweak is Avery Mephistopheles Imperial Stout, with a chunk of coffee thrown in. If you haven’t geeked out enough, the brewery aged it four months in bourbon barrels.
Picked this one up during one of my work trips out West.
6. Olde Rabbit's Foot Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (2017)
In some cultures, the foot of a rabbit is carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by individuals in a great number of places around the world, including Europe, China, Africa, and North and South America. This belief likely has existed in Europe since 600 BC among Celtic people.
The Beer:
First brewed in 2009, Olde Rabbit’s Foot is North Carolina’s original collaboration craft beer, and embodies the spirit of cooperation that permeates the state’s craft beer culture.
The brainchild of brewmasters from Olde Hickory Brewery, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery and Foothills Brewing, Olde Rabbit's Foot is a blend of Imperial stouts from each brewery, aged in 23-year old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrels with honey and cocoa nibs.
Another selection from beer guru Jason.
Another selection from beer guru Jason.
7. Tyranena The Kissers' Monday Night Special Oatmeal Double Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels
The Kissers bring a fresh, original kick to Celtic music. Forged during legendary Monday nights at Madison's O’Cayz Corral, and honed through 1000 nights on the road, their sound blends sharp musicianship, black humor and the lilt and lyricism of the ancient melodies. Rock musicians who learned Irish music, The Kissers explore the roots of that tradition while retaining their own unique essence.
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The Beer:
A Bourbon Barrel-Aged Double Oatmeal Stout named to honor "The Kissers", Tyranena Brewing's Monday night house band.
One in a long line of great Wisconsin beers from my good friend John Pfister aka Beer Santa.
8. Yazoo Embrace The Funk Cuvée Funk Fest '18
Cuvée (pronounced koo-vay´) is a wine and beer term, derived from the French word 'cuve' meaning barrel or tank. Mostly the name is used for a blend of the best base beers for a second fermentation.
The Beer:
A blended wild French ale aged in select red and white wine barrels with pink guava, passion fruit, oranges and pineapples.
Everything Embrace The Funk brew master concocts is genius; Brandon is a genius.
9. Prairie Artisan Ales Double Dunk Imperial Stout with Oreo
The Beer:
An Imperial Stout with Oreo cookies. You read correctly; Oreo cookies.
10. Hangar 24 Barrel Poll First Crush Sour Red Ale (2016)
Sour (Flanders) Red Ale
A sour, fruity, red wine-like Belgian-style ale with supportive malt flavors and fruit complexity with a dry finish and tannin characteristics. Typically light-bodied with reddish-brown colors, they are known for their distinct sharp, fruity, sour, and tart flavors which are created by special yeast strains. Very complex beers, they are produced under the age-old tradition of long-term cask aging in oak, and the blending of young and old beers.
Winemakers often refer to their harvest as "The Crush," a reference to their process of literally crushing the juice from freshly harvested grapes. Hangar 24 borrowed this term for "First Crush," the very first beer they ever blended from their stock of Syrah wine barrels filled with sour red ale. A mix of 18 month old barrels build complex base flavors of funk and oak, and the addition of Syrah grape juice after primary fermentation adds vinous, tannic notes of red wine, ripe fruit and leather. First Crush is ready to enjoy now, but will continue to evolve in your cellar for many years.
This one came from BBQ and craft beer aficionado Carlos, alias Big G.
11. The Commons Brewery Bourbon Little Brother (2016)
The Beer:
Little Brother is a rich and malty ale. A bit of roastiness, toffee, candy and chocolate come through as it warms. A smaller batch of Little Brother was aged in a Heaven Hill Bourbon barrel and blended back in for a touch of Bourbon. Bourbon Little Brother is a pleasant and satisfying cold weather warmer.
Thank you Travis for this wonderful beer, sadly the last of my Commons ales. Cheers my young Brother.
12. J.W. Lees Harvest Matured In Lagavulin Whisky Casks (2010)
JW Lees is a family brewery company, founded in 1828 by retired cotton manufacturer John Lees. They are based in Middleton, England in the North West of Manchester. Lees is a sixth-generation family business.
The Beer:
An English Barleywine matured in wooden casks of Lagavulin Malt Whiskey, one of the most distinctive malt whisky from the island of Islay, characterized by the strong peaty notes which should blend with the Harvest Ale to give an explosion of flavors. This fully fermented ale has been brewed by JW Lees as a celebration of the brewers’ art. Harvest Ale can be enjoyed now or laid down like a fine wine for enjoyment to come.
I have held on to this gem since 2010. Time to enjoy this one.
There are the Twelve Beers of Christmas 2018, a variety of goodness from near and far, to be enjoyed and savored. Here is to hoping you too may enjoy your own Twelve Beers of Christmas. Cheers to all - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a very Happy New Beer.
Twelve Beers of Christmas Past:
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2008
1. Anchor Our Special Ale (2008)
2. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
3. Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
4. Great Lakes Christmas Ale
5. Bison Winter Warmer
6. Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
7. Delirium Tremens
8. New Glarus Apple Ale
9. Corsendonk Pater (Abbey Brown Ale)
10. Corsendonk Agnus (Abbey Pale Ale)
11. Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout
12. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale (2008)
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2009
1. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs Christmas Ale
2. Goose Island Christmas Ale
3. Tommyknocker St. Nicks Cocoa Porter
4. Avery Old Jubilation Ale
5. Rinkuškiai Missing Elf
6. Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout
7. Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter
8. Rochefort Trappistes 6
9. Rogue Santas Private Reserve Ale
10. Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
11. Cantillon Iris
12. Lurgashall Christmas Mead
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2010
1. Spaten Optimator
2. Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine
3. Ass Kisser Double IPA
4. Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
5. Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
6. Depot Street The Limited Maple Pecan Porter
7. AleSmith YuleSmith – Summer
8. a. Oskar Blues Gordon / b. Oskar Blues Gubna
9. Maredsous 10
10. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
11. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz & Ken Ale
12. Victory Old Horizontal
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2011
1. AleSmith Yulesmith – Winter
2. Brew Kettle White Rajah
3. Brooklyn Black Ops
4. Capital Eternal Flame
5. Dogfish Head Miles Davis' Bitches Brew
6. Founders Backwoods Bastard
7. Hoppin' Frog DORIS The Destroyer Double Imperial Stout
8. Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball Ale
9. Odell Mountain Standard '09
10. Olde Hickory Bourbon Barrel Aged Bardstown Ale
11. Ommegang Brasserie D'Achouffe Gnomegang
12. Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2012
1. De Ranke Pere Noel
2. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
3. Hopworks Organic Abominable Winter Ale
4. Lompoc C-Son's Greetings
5. Midnight Sun CoHoHo Imperial IPA
6. N'Ice Chouffe
7. Ninkasi Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt
8. Oakshire Ill-Tempered Gnome
9. Pelican Bad Santa
10. Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
11. Samuel Adams Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout
12. The Bruery 5 Golden Rings
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2014
Twelve Beers of Christmas 2015
